¹ I, the elder, am writing this letter.

I am sending it to the lady chosen by God and to her children. I love all of you because of the truth. I’m not the only one who loves you. So does everyone who knows the truth. ² I love you because of the truth that is alive in us. This truth will be with us forever.

³ God the Father and Jesus Christ his Son will give you grace, mercy and peace. These blessings will be with us because we love the truth.

⁴ It has given me great joy to find some of your children living by the truth. That’s just what the Father commanded us to do. ⁵ Dear lady, I’m not writing you a new command. I’m writing a command we’ve had from the beginning. I’m asking that we love one another. ⁶ The way we show our love is to obey God’s commands. He commands you to lead a life of love. That’s what you have heard from the beginning.

⁷ I say this because many people have tried to fool others. These people have gone out into the world. They don’t agree that Jesus Christ came in a human body. People like this try to trick others. These people are like the great enemy of Christ. ⁸ Watch out that you don’t lose what we have worked for. Make sure that you get your full reward. ⁹ Suppose someone thinks they know more than we do. So they don’t follow Christ’s teaching. Then that person doesn’t belong to God. But whoever follows Christ’s teaching belongs to the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ Suppose someone comes to you and doesn’t teach these truths. Then don’t take them into your house or welcome them. ¹¹ Anyone who welcomes them shares in their evil work.

¹² I have a lot to write to you. But I don’t want to use paper and ink. I hope I can visit you instead. Then I can talk with you face to face. That will make our joy complete.

¹³ The children of your sister, who is chosen by God, send their greetings.

¹ I, the elder, am writing this letter.

I am sending it to you, my dear friend Gaius. I love you because of the truth.

² Dear friend, I know that your spiritual life is going well. I pray that you also may enjoy good health. And I pray that everything else may go well with you. ³ Some believers came to me and told me that you are faithful to the truth. They told me that you continue to live by it. This news gave me great joy. ⁴ I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are living by the truth.

⁵ Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters. You are faithful even though they are strangers to you. ⁶ They have told the church about your love. Please help them by sending them on their way in a manner that honors God. ⁷ They started on their journey to serve Jesus Christ. They didn’t receive any help from those who aren’t believers. ⁸ So we should welcome people like them. We should work together with them for the truth.

⁹ I wrote to the church. But Diotrephes will not welcome us. He loves to be the first in everything. ¹⁰ So when I come, I will point out what he is doing. He is saying evil things that aren’t true about us. Even this doesn’t satisfy him. So he refuses to welcome other believers. He also keeps others from welcoming them. In fact, he throws them out of the church.

¹¹ Dear friend, don’t be like those who do evil. Be like those who do good. Anyone who does what is good belongs to God. Anyone who does what is evil hasn’t really seen or known God. ¹² Everyone says good things about Demetrius. He lives in keeping with the truth. We also say good things about him. And you know that what we say is true.

¹³ I have a lot to write to you. But I don’t want to write with pen and ink. ¹⁴ I hope I can see you soon. Then we can talk face to face.

¹⁵ May you have peace.

The friends here send their greetings. Greet each one of the friends there.

¹ I, Jude, am writing this letter. I serve Jesus Christ. I am a brother of James.

I am sending this letter to you who have been chosen by God. You are loved by God the Father. You are kept safe for Jesus Christ.

² May more and more mercy, peace and love be given to you.

A Warning Against the Sin of Ungodly People

³ Dear friends, I really wanted to write to you about the salvation we share. But now I feel I should write and ask you to stand up for the faith. God’s holy people were trusted with it once and for all time. ⁴ Certain people have secretly slipped in among you. Long ago it was written that they would be judged. They are ungodly people. They misuse the grace of our God as an excuse for sexual sins. They say no to Jesus Christ, our only Lord and King.

⁵ I want to remind you about some things you already know. The Lord saved his people. At one time he brought them out of Egypt. But later he destroyed those who did not believe. ⁶ Some of the angels didn’t stay where they belonged. They didn’t keep their positions of authority. The Lord has kept those angels in darkness. They are held by chains that last forever. On judgment day, God will judge them. ⁷ The people of Sodom and Gomorrah and the towns around them also did evil things. They freely committed sexual sins. They committed sins of the worst possible kind. There is a fire that never goes out. Those people are an example of those who are punished with it.

⁸ In the very same way, these ungodly people act on their evil dreams. So they make their own bodies impure. They don’t accept authority. And they say evil things against heavenly beings. ⁹ But even Michael, the leader of the angels, didn’t dare to say these things. He didn’t even say these things when he argued with the devil about the body of Moses. Michael didn’t dare to judge the devil. He didn’t say the devil was guilty of saying evil things. Instead, Michael said, “May the Lord judge you!” ¹⁰ But these people say evil things against whatever they don’t understand. And the very things they do understand will destroy them. That’s because they are like wild animals that can’t think for themselves. Instead, they do what comes naturally to them.

¹¹ How terrible it will be for them! They have followed the way of Cain. They have rushed into the same mistake Balaam made. They did it because they loved money. They are like Korah. He turned against his leaders. These people will certainly be destroyed, just as Korah was.

¹² These ungodly people are like stains at the meals you share. They have no shame. They are shepherds who feed only themselves. They are like clouds without rain. They are blown along by the wind. They are like trees in the fall. Since they have no fruit, they are pulled out of the ground. So they die twice. ¹³ They are like wild waves of the sea. Their shame rises up like foam. They are like falling stars. God has reserved a place of very black darkness for them forever.

¹⁴ Enoch was the seventh man in the family line of Adam. He gave a prophecy about these people. He said, “Look! The Lord is coming with thousands and thousands of his holy ones. ¹⁵ He is coming to judge everyone. He is coming to sentence all of them. He will judge them for all the ungodly acts they have done. They have done them in ungodly ways. He will sentence ungodly sinners for all the things they have said to oppose him.” ¹⁶ These people complain and find fault with others. They follow their own evil desires. They brag about themselves. They praise others to get what they want.

Remain in God’s Love

¹⁷ Dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said would happen. ¹⁸ They told you, “In the last days, some people will make fun of the truth. They will follow their own ungodly desires.” ¹⁹ They are the people who separate you from one another. They do only what comes naturally. They are not led by the Holy Spirit.

²⁰ But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith. Let the Holy Spirit guide and help you when you pray. ²¹ And by doing these things, remain in God’s love as you wait. You are waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life.

²² Show mercy to those who doubt. ²³ Save others by pulling them out of the fire. To others, show mercy mixed with fear of sin. Hate even the clothes that are stained by the sins of those who wear them.

Praise to God

²⁴ Give praise to the God who is able to keep you from falling into sin. He will bring you into his heavenly glory without any fault. He will bring you there with great joy. ²⁵ Give praise to the only God our Savior. Glory, majesty, power and authority belong to him. Give praise to him through Jesus Christ our Lord. His praise was before all time, continues now, and will last forever. Amen.